The Orange County Veteran Suicide Prevention Coalition to have information table at fishing event.

The Orange County Veteran Suicide Prevention Coalition will have a veteran information table during the Thruway Sporting Goods annual fishing event to hand out veteran crisis materials and veteran benefit information. There will be information on Middletown Vet Center and Heroes, Cowboys & Companions as well.

The event is on Saturday, March 28 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. and will be held at Thruway Sporting Goods located at 78 Oak Street Walden, N.Y. This event will feature raffles, special fishing tackle sales, door prizes and industry reps from Pure Fishing to give advice on fishing products.

The coalition has already placed over 50,000 suicide prevention materials in over 1,300 businesses and organizations located near Orange County, New York. The coalition hopes to reach even more people with their message at this year’s fishing event. In addition, District Attorney David Hoovler’s office will have booklets to pass out on preventing senior citizen fraud and materials on the opioid crisis with a view towards preventing drug use by our young people. Information on the sixth Orange County District Attorney’s Youth Fishing Derby which starts April 1, will also be available.

The Orange County Veteran Suicide Prevention Coalition is trying to reach as many veterans and their families as possible with their suicide prevention message. Representatives of the Hudson Valley VA Healthcare System, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and Middletown Vet Center will be on site if anyone would like to discuss the information in our handouts or set up a future meeting to speak to a group live about suicide prevention. The coalition has already been to several veteran organizations and sportsmen’s clubs to speak about suicide prevention and are looking to speak to more interested groups in the future.

“I am proud of the work that the Orange County Veteran Suicide Prevention Coalition has done for Orange County veterans and their families and of the strong support that has been provided to the coalition by the citizens and businesses of Orange County including Thruway Sporting Goods, Thruway Ace Hardware & Home Center and Pure Fishing.” said District Attorney Hoovler.

If you or your organization would like any veteran crisis materials or information about any of the other Veterans groups helping us in Orange County, please stop by our table. The coalition will be happy to assist you. You can also contact Carl LoFaro of the Hudson Valley VA Healthcare System at carl.lofaro@va.gov to get crisis materials sent to you or to set up a live meeting with your organization on this serious subject. Contact Mr. Lenox Okall of the Hudson Valley VA Healthcare System at lenox.okall@va.gov if you need information on VA benefits. For information on Middletown Vet Center please contact Joel.Murns@va.gov Please contact Dwayne or Jacque for information about how Heroes, Cowboys & Companions help veterans and first responders at heroesandcowboys@gmail.com Please contact Thruway Sporting Goods at 1 (845) 778 - 1400 if you have any questions about the fishing event.